5 Tips For Writing In A Way That Is Compelling
How to get people to stop scrolling, read and act on your words
What’s the major word in this headline?
It’s not even the word ‘write’; it is the word compelling.
The word compel means to necessitate, force, or persuade.
When it comes to creative writing, the primary aim is to win people over to your side; to move people from one point to the other.
Therefore, no matter the type of piece you are writing, you must write in such a way that your audience sees what you want them to see, exactly how you want them to see it.
How do you possibly achieve this result? Here are 5 tips.
1. Have a Clear Goal in Mind
Every article or piece you write has its own goal. Before even attempting to write, you owe yourself the duty to be clear on your goal(s).
What do you want to write?
A blog post, product description, sales copy, web content, email Newsletter, etc.
What goal do you intend to achieve with the writing?
Are you trying to inform people and be seen as an authority, or are you trying to create awareness about a product/service or to sell?
The success of your article is halfway guaranteed with your goal clearly defined.
2. Understand Your Audience
Having defined your goal, you need to understand your audience.
For example, when taking a writing gig, you should ask your employer for a brief. The brief must contain what writing it is you want to do, where it will be published, and a description of who it is the web content, blog post, or copy is meant for. Because knowing who your audience is will help you know how best to connect with them.
Consequently, your knowledge of who they are, what their needs are, etc will help you choose the words they will be able to relate with.
3. Give Your Audience What They Want
Your readers really don’t care about how beautiful you write if there is nothing in it for them. Someone said, there is a station we are all tuned to. It’s called “WIIFM” — What’s in it for me?
Have you ever taken part in a group photograph, and a copy of the picture was sent to you later? Who do you first look for in the group photo?
Yourself I guess.
Same way, your readers want to know whether your article addresses their needs, wants, or challenges. Readers want more of something and less of other things. They want more security, love, money, safety, and less worries, pain, lack, etc.
Therefore, from your caption to the body text, show them that this is about them and not yourself.
If your article is a marketing piece or copy, one way to do that is, rather than highlight the features of your product, show them the benefits. The benefit explains how the feature of the product meets a need they have.
Speak to the needs of your audience.
4. Use Descriptive Words
Writing is like wooing a lady, you’ll need the right words.
What did I just do there? I just engaged your mind by using a simile to stir your imagination (comparing writing with what happens on a date between a boy and a girl).
Pictures make a lasting impression so you want to use words that paint a picture in the mind of your readers.
Since you know what your audience wants, use words that stir them up to imagine the result they will get if they used your product.
5. Use Facts and Testimonials
If you are writing just to inform, then stating facts from credible sources is a good way to give your article some credibility. If it’s a sales copy then make sure you have testimonials.
According to a study by Nielsen, 92% of consumers trust UGC more than traditional advertising. And, according to a survey by Stackla (cited by HubSpot), 79% of consumers are more likely to buy a product after seeing a positive UGC review.
People don’t just trust so easily these days because they have been burnt. Showing them who has used your product/service before and the result they got will move them up the buying decision curve. This is the reason why UGC (user-generated content) is a major trend in the marketing industry in 2023.
Wrapping Up
Lastly, don’t forget that writing is an art. So having had all the above-listed ingredients sorted out, it’s time to allow your uniqueness and creative ability to blend all of that together. Your personality should be seen, heard, and felt in your writing. Give the creative ‘you’ a voice, let it find expression.
